Safety

By: Cesar | May 10th, 2008

I’m keeping this one short as I battle a torrid head cold that just won’t go away … the players better not catch anything either, as evidenced by the picture above which shows Marchena and Villa enjoying the wet conditions at Paterna.

They’re needed. Me? Not so much, as the great comments on the site more than make up for the blog.

Thanks for your wonderful insight and please keep it coming!

So after Wednesday’s tense 1-0 victory over Real Zaragoza, we’re a point from safety, a point from our late-season objective: staying in La Liga.

Should reigning champions Real Madrid defeat Zaragoza at La Romareda, we’re also safe.
So things are finally looking up for us … can you believe this is our objective? Staying in La Liga? Seems so long ago we were dreaming of Moscow nights and a date in the Champions League final. Now we’re clawing for scraps.

Not that I’m complaining, because staying in the league is our main objective these days. And if we succeed, let’s thank our lucky stars.

One point is all it will take. One point against city rivals Levante, who at 26 points sit in 20th and last place in the league. They’re already relegated and playing simply for pride.

We all might think this is a gimme game, but that’s not so. A club playing simply for pride, a club playing the string out, playing in their last local derby for some time, will be playing their hearts out.

And with the form we’ve shown week in and week out, nothing’s taken for granted.

I’ve said before that I have a special place in my heart for Levante.

I lived in the neighborhood and went to many games during my time living in Valencia.

But as much as I feel for Levante, this is a must win. Valencia has to go all-out, hoping to stifle any momentum our city neighbors hope to build.

Should be a good one …

Some tidbits:

- Keep the nominations for the Valencia season awards coming! There’s a whole community of people voting over at the Xtratime forum as well! Make your way over and make friends with Valencia fans from around the world!

- Goal.com thinks we’re going to win 3-1 in their game preview. What do you think?

- Vicente is hurt again. I love the guy. I really do. But he’s softer than a newborn baby’s bottom (weak metaphor, eh? I’m sick. Give me a break …) His time here is up.

- Is Almeria’s Unai Emery our new coach? Spanish media seems to think we’ve signed the hot coaching property to a two-year deal. But Emery said that’s hogwash.
“That I have signed something with Valencia is a lie. It is a lie that Valencia have secured Unai Emery,” Emery said, apparently talking to someone about himself in the third person.

- David Albelda dropped his case against the club. I guess some of the boos he heard on Wednesday upon reappearing caused him to change his mind.

Great man. Great player. You totally didn’t deserve what you got. I will miss you next season.

- Milan’s transfer consultant and super agent, Ernesto Bronzetti, claims that the Rossoneri’s bid for Ronaldinho may be over and they should also look elsewhere for reinforcements … like, Valencia, for example.

“There are many young players in Spain who are potential targets. Look at Valencia for example, they will need to sell following a poor season and they may be forced to get rid of some of their prized assets.”

Hmm, like Silva, Joaquin and David Villa?

So is that the respect we command around Europe? The spectre of a selling club hangs around us?
Pathetic what the people in charge of this club have done this season …

I need to lay down. More later …